My Complicated thoughts on Labubus (as a toy collector)

First off;

This post is not meant to be a deep analysis of the trend or over-consumption, it's more of a ramble of my own immediate thoughts. It's also not a Labubu hate post, and I kindly ask that you don't reference or use this article to hate on collectors nor people who don't like them. It's a doll at the end of the day. Let's keep things civil.

As of posting, I'm working on my own bag charm project of a favorite character of mine. Nix. It's an interesting experience that deserves it's own blog post. Even though I made it to be it's own thing, it's kinda hard to not compare my project to Labubus (I've even affectionately nicknamed him "the Nix Labubu"). A very polarizing toy line that blew up earlier this year. They're vinyl-faced bag-charm dolls of a rabbit-like monster by the brand POP MART, based on illustrations by Kasing Lung (smaller vinyl figures & ones that predate their appearance in pop mart exist too, but we'll be focusing on the dolls today).

It's kind of interesting to watch from afar, as someone who's been in-and-out of toy collecting for years now. I'm primarily an LPS collector, though I've also dabbled with fashion dolls and a few other toylines before (albiet not as much as LPS).

As for my thoughts... I'm pretty mixed? It's impossible to ignore how controversial Labubus and the "community" have become. But I also think it's hypocritical for me to dunk on them given my own hobbies. And I do think the hate is overblown & possibly in bad faith. So, I guess I'll throw some of my own disorganized thoughts into the ring.

My own opinion

As for what I think on the dolls themselves... I'm also pretty mixed here. On one hand, I'm not sure if I'd go out of my way to collect them? Even acknowledging they're meant to be more of an 'art toy', they're out of the price range I'm comfortable paying for a blind box & not know if I'll even get the color I want. I think the design itself is fine, but not something I'd rush out to grab. And while I'm pretty sure these are outlier cases, some of the reports of people stealing them are alarming enough to not feel comfortable carrying them all the time.

But at the same time... I can't really hate them. I 100% see the appeal of having a small little travel companion you can clip on your bag and take with you. I myself have a small pouch I clip on my bag for LPS and it's part of the reason I'm making the Nix charm. And while I'll discuss the more negative aspects later, there's something nice about having adult toy collecting & carrying around be introduced to the mainstream.

It's not a new part of the hobby. For example, LPS bag charms & pouches have been around for a while now & it's fairly common for plushie collectors to bring theirs with them whether it's as a comfort object or 'just because'. But I think this is the most mainstream it's gotten in a while. Though I do wish the focus was more on the act of having a toy travel companion vs mainly on the Labubu brand. Travel companions are fun, they can also be a tool to make you feel more comfortable & less 'alone' while going out (I used a Build-a-bear on a recent solo trip for this purpose), or they can be there for fun. Toys & by extension other objects can also be great conversation starters or ways to meet new people. So I wish that aspect was the more celebrated part than the more polarizing sides.

The Polarizing Side

I imagine a few people were waiting for this part.

Labubu's & their collector base have received a ton of criticism, manly under the context of "overconsumption" and how excessive the trend has gotten. There's the aforementioned theft issues people have been reporting, but there's also instances of fights breaking out over them (to the point Pop Mart stopped selling them at in-person shops in the UK). And as with every popular collector brand, they've fallen victim to Ebay scalping and scams.

As bleak as it sounds, this is not isolated to Labubus. The LPS collectors market had gotten so bad that I've written off buying certain molds just because I don't want to drop $100+ on something that may be a fake. Earlier this year, there were fights being broken out over a Pokemon card release. And far more instances than I could list here. The difference is with Labubu, these issues are reaching the mainstream faster. These are serious problems within the collector hobby space that both make it inaccessible to newcomers & possibly dangerous, so I think it's important to recognize these as issues in themselves instead of treating it as something exclusive to the Labubu community.

Over-consumption

This one's tricky. Collecting is an inherently consumeristic hobby, and I think there is a problem with how people encourage 'overconsumption' / buying things for the sake of having them and pushing 'fomo' for those who miss out. I've had to crack down on my own toy collecting habits myself at multiple points because it's left me with a lot of things I don't feel anything towards long-term. Spending is something that also should be kept in check, as to make sure the collecting hobby doesn't breach into funds needed for essentials or turning into relying on spending for happiness. And there's also environmental consciousness, as the production & the unboxing of a toy does generate a lot of waste (never mind when trends start hitting the landfill once they die out).

I also strongly dislike influencer marketing, or at least the direction it's gone. There's the aforementioned encouraging of buying just to buy + pushing fomo. Then there's the romanticization of constant spending, which especially when we're in a recession is very eerie to see be promoted. And while this note's more common with playline toy marketing, it's pretty disgusting to me seeing influencers take things like 'healing your inner child' and warp it into 'trauma is a disorder that makes you buy toys'. I think I'm too unqualified to say too much on this, but I feel like inner-child work should be treated as therapy & an actual healing process instead of solely a reason to buy things. I also feel the constant promoting of toy collecting as trauma recovery loops back around to 'you have to have something severely bad happen to you to enjoy this perceived childish hobby'. The toy hobby should be open to everyone regardless of age or mental state & no one should feel forced to justify it to participate.

All of these points are important to address. But the more I look at the way I see it being discussed, especially within the context of Labubus, it feels more like people are hiding behind these serious issues as an excuse to dunk on collector hobbies. I think it's because so many commentaries focus on the fact people like the dolls rather than the unhealthy culture that's gotten into the collector-space. I know some people highlight the difference in culture between labubus & other scenes, notably how influencers treat them as a status symbol compared to a companion. The status symbol part doesn't jive with me, but I think it's pretty rude to assume just because a rich person used them to show off their Gucci bags & dress them in luxury brands that the way everyone collects these dolls is the same way. It's in the camp of "not my property, not my problem" in my opinion.

And as a final note, I usually hate pulling this card. But it's hard to ignore how hostile people get over these over-consumption trends when it's something primarily enjoyed by women. You don't see nearly as much hate & people framing as the "final boss of capitalism" for men who collect sneakers to never wear them than you do for a woman who likes Labubu & Stanley cups. I should note, I'm not calling people who dislike these trends sexist (that's a very strong term & disliking something in itself is ok). But I think it's important to acknowledge potential biases in how we talk about things if we want to maintain healthy discussion, and to make sure we're discussing things in good faith rather than hiding behind it as an excuse to be hateful.

To be honest, I think that's my main issue with how people talk about Labubu's problems. A lot of it comes off less as discussing the dolls & culture, and more of just a face people can hide behind to be rude to people within collector spaces. People's ire should be directed at influencers & corporations that promote this behavior, not at people just wanting a doll.

Conclusion

This is, another article I don't know what I wanted to get out of this? I think this had just been on my mind the past few months. I feel like my opinions on Labubu have went from negative to neutral-ish overtime. There are parts to criticize about the trend, but most of it isn't exclusive to the line.

As for whether or not i'd get one... it's crossed my mind a few times, but like I said earlier, they're not really something I'd go out of my way to get, especially for a toy I'm not sure if I'll enjoy long-term. And I also feel my LPS and WIP Nix charm are more relevant to me. Maybe once they start flooding the secondhand market and into the hands of thrifty alt-kids I'll reconsider. It'll keep one from hitting landfill at least.